Antivenom composition

ABSTRACT

A composition effective against the symptoms of venom, such as convulsions and throat blockage, suffered by a victim of a venomous creature, which composition comprises an ethyl alcohol infusion of previously dried herbs and iron filings, said alcohol infusion being a supernatant decanted from an infusion of from 28 to 31 liters of an ethyl alcohol and water solution containing at least 55% ethyl alcohol; from 130 to 300 grams of red cinchona; from 130 to 300 grams of curcuma root; from 60 to 100 grams of aloe; from 80 to 200 grams of saffron; from 80 to 200 grams of white agaric; from 80 to 200 grams of nutmeg; from 250 to 400 grams manna; from 150 to 330 grams of gencian; from 70 to 170 grams of orange blossom; from 80 to 200 grams of rhubarb; from 450 to 650 grams of cinnamon; and from 2,800 to 3,500 grams of iron filings. The composition is prepared by mixing together the dried herbs and iron filings; submerging the mixture in from 28 to 31 liters of the ethyl alcohol solution; allowing the submerged mixture to stand for a period of time sufficient to form the infusion, preferably about 15 days; and decanting the supernatant from said mixture. The symptoms of venom may be effectively treated by orally administering to the victim a dosage unit consisting of one-half glass of water into which is mixed one spoonful of the composition.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention refers to an antivenom composition and, moreparticularly, to an antivenom composition useful as antidote against thebite of venomous animals and which has proven to be also useful as anaid for healing burns and ulcers both on the skin and on the mucosa ofthe human body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Several vaccines for systemic or parenteral application are known in theprior art to prevent fatalities when a person has suffered the bite of avenomous animal such as snakes, scorpions and the like, but thesevaccines are mainly in the form of serum, that is, mainly contain serumfrom animal which is highly toxic to certain persons who suffer fromallergy against the antibodies contained by the serum used in saidvaccines, such as horse serum.

Therefore, the field of application of said vaccines, has beenconsiderably restricted in view of the fact that certain persons do notaccept the serum contained in the vaccines and some times they die, ifnot of the venom injected by the animal, by the allergic shock caused bythe vaccine itself.

Therefore, for long there has been the need of an antivenom composition,which by its nature itself and by its manner of application, will notcause allergic shocks and will nevertheless be highly effective againstthe venom of said animals.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Having in mind the defects of the prior art antivenom compositions, itis an object of the present invention to provide an antivenomcomposition which will not cause any allergic shock and yet will behighly effective against the venom of various animals.

It is one other object of the present invention to provide an antivenomcomposition, of the above mentioned character, which will be of astrictly vegetable origin in order to avoid the existence of any toxinswhich may cause secondary reactions in the victim.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide anantivenom composition of the above mentioned nature, which will becapable of being administered through the oral route and still so willbe rapidly assimilatable in order to carry out its action against thepoison of venomous animals.

The foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto are preferablyaccomplished as follows:

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, anantivenom composition, which has proven to be highly useful as antidoteagainst the bite of venomous animals, and has also proven to be usefulas an aid for healing burns and ulcers, is prepared by infusing, inethyl alcohol, a mixture of red cinchona, curcuma root, aloes, saffron,white agaric, nutmeg, manna, gencian, orange blossom, rhubarb andcinnamon, together with an amount of iron filings.

The infusion is prepared by introducing the above mixture of herbs,previously dried, and iron filings, into a sufficient amount of 55%ethyl alcohol during about 15 days, and then filtering or decanting thesolution to obtain the necessary infusion to be used as an antidote.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the presentinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbest be understood from the following detailed description of certainspecific embodiments thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The antivenom composition of the present invention comprises an ethylalcohol infusion of 130 to 300 grams of red cinchona, 130 to 300 gramsof curcuma root, 60 to 100 grams of aloes, 80 to 200 grams of saffron,80 to 200 grams of white agaric, 80 to 200 grams of nutmeg, 250 to 400grams of manna, 150 to 330 grams of gencian, 70 to 170 grams of orangeblossom, 80 to 200 grams of rhubarb, 450 to 650 grams of cinnamon, and2800 to 3500 grams of iron filings, in an amount of from 28 to 31 litersof ethyl alcohol.

The composition of the present invention is prepared by the steps ofdrying the above mentioned herbs, mixing said herbs together with thespecified amounts of iron filings, and completely submerging the herbsand iron filings in the specified amount of ethyl alcohol, letting thethus obtained mixture to stand for about 15 days and either decantingor, filtering the supernatant infusion to be used as an antidote for thepoison of venomous animals.

In accordance with a highly preferred embodiment of the invention, theantivenom composition of the present invention is obtained by infusing,in 29 liters of 55% ethyl alcohol, 220 grams of red cinchona, 200 gramsof curcuma root, 80 grams of aloes, 140 grams of saffron, 140 grams ofwhite agaric, 140 grams of nutmeg, 340 grams of manna, 280 grams ofgencian, 120 grams of orange blossom, 140 grams of rhubarb, 560 grams ofcinnamon and 3200 grams of iron filings.

The above alcoholic infusion of herbs and iron filings has been found tobe absolutely effective against the poison of venomous animals, i.e.,creatures, such as snakes, (for instance, rattlesnakes), scorpions,spiders, vesps and bees and also the said composition has been found tobe highly effective as an aid for healing burns and ulcers either on theskin or on the mucosa of the human body.

The present invention will be more fully understood by means of thefollowing examples which are given as illustrative but not as limitativeof the present invention.

EXAMPLE 1

An antivenom composition was prepared by drying and mixing 220 grams ofred cinchona, 220 grams of curcuma root, 80 grams of aloes, 140 grams ofsaffron, 140 grams of white agaric, 140 grams of nutmeg, 340 grams ofmanna, 280 grams of gencian, 120 grams of orange blossom, 140 grams ofrhubarb, 560 grams of cinnamon and 3200 grams of iron filings, andinfusing said mixture in 29 liters of 55% ethyl alcohol by allowing themixture to stand during 15 days and then decanting the supernatantinfusion.

A number of 45 persons were treated at different times with a dosageunit of the above mentioned composition, prepared by dissolving onespoonful of said infusion in one half glass of water, and administeringsaid dosage unit to said persons who had suffered from the bite ofvenomous animals at different times. The above group of persons sufferedfrom the bite of venomous animals as follows: 15 persons suffered fromthe bite of rattlesnake, 10 persons suffered from the bite of venomousscorpions, 10 persons suffered from the bite of vesps, 5 more personssuffered from the bite of venomous ants and 5 more suffered from thebite of bees.

To each one of said persons, at different times, namely, when thecasualities occurred, the above dosage unit of the infusion of thepresent invention was administered orally, with which the symptoms ofthe action of the venom injected by the venomous animals practicallydisappeared in a complete manner within a few hours. When a considerabletime elapsed for certain ones of the victims from the moment of the biteto the time of the treatment and said victims started to suffer fromconvulsions or throat blocking, the said dosage unit was applied byusing warm water, with which the symptoms of the action of the poisonalso practically disappeared. In some cases it was necessary toadminister a second dosage unit of the infusion of the present inventionto obtain complete disappearance of the symptoms of the action of thepoison.

EXAMPLE 2

A group of 10 persons suffering from different types of burns on theskin was selected, and by using the infusion prepared as described inExample 1, said infusion was directly applied to the skin five times perday the first five days and then reducing the number of applications byone per day, until the burns were healed by the end of approximately thetenth day.

EXAMPLE 3

A group of patients suffering from different types of ulcers on themucosas of the gastrointestinal tract was selected, and an oral dosageunit of two spoonfuls of the infusion prepared in accordance withExample 1, without dilution, was administered orally to said patients,twice a day before taking meals, with which the ulcers were healed inapproximately from 15 to 20 days.

Although certain specific embodiments of the present invention have beenshown and described, it is to be understood that certain modificationsthereof are possible. The present invention, therefore, is not to berestricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by thespirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A composition effective against the convulsionsand throat blockage symptoms of venom suffered by a victim of a venomouscreature, which composition comprises an ethyl alcohol infusion ofpreviously dried herbs and iron filings, said alcohol infusion being asupernatant decanted from an infusion offrom 28 to 31 liters of an ethylalcohol and water solution containing at least 55% ethyl alcohol; from130 to 300 grams of red cinchona; from 130 to 300 grams of curcuma root;from 60 to 100 grams of aloe; from 80 to 200 grams of saffron; from 80to 200 grams of white agaric; from 80 to 200 grams of nutmeg; from 250to 400 grams manna; from 150 to 330 grams of gencian; from 70 to 170grams of orange blossom; from 80 to 200 grams of rhubarb; from 450 to650 grams of cinnamon; and from 2,800 to 3,500 grams of iron filings. 2.A composition according to claim 1, wherein said supernatant is decantedfrom an infusion of29liters of an ethyl alcohol and water solutioncontaining 55% of ethyl alcohol; 220 grams of red cinchona; 220 grams ofcurcuma root; 80 grams of aloe; 140 grams of saffron; 140 grams of whiteagaric; 140 grams of nutmeg; 340 grams of manna; 280 grams of gencian;120 grams of orange blossom; 140 grams of rhubarb; 560 grams ofcinnamon; and 3,200 grams of iron filings.
 3. A method of preparing acomposition effective against the convulsions and throat blockagesymptoms of venom, suffered by a victim of a venomous creature, whichcomposition comprises an ethyl alcohol infusion of previously driedherbs and iron filings, said alcohol infusion being a supernatantdecanted from an infusion, said method comprising:a. mixing togetherdried herbs and iron filings in the following amounts: from 130 to 300grams of red cinchona; from 130 to 300 grams of curcuma root; from 60 to100 grams of aloe; from 80 to 200 grams of saffron; from 80 to 200 gramsof white agaric; from 80 to 200 grams of nutmeg; from 250 to 400 gramsmanna; from 150 to 330 grams of gencian; from 70 to 170 grams of orangeblossom; from 80 to 200 grams of rhubarb; from 450 to 650 grams ofcinnamon; and from 2,800 to 3,500 grams of iron filings; b. submergingthe herbs and iron filings mixture in from 28 to 31 liters of an ethylalcohol and water solution containing at least 55% of ethyl alcohol; c.allowing the submerged mixture to stand for a period of time of aboutfifteen days; and d. decanting said supernatant from said mixture.
 4. Amethod according to claim 3, wherein dried herbs and iron filings aremixed together in the following amounts:220 grams of red cinchona; 220grams of curcuma root; 80 grams of aloe; 140 grams of saffron; 140 gramsof white agaric; 140 grams of nutmeg; 340 grams of manna; 280 grams ofgencian; 120 grams of orange blossom; 140grams of rhubarb; 560 grams ofcinnamon; and 3,200 grams of iron filings.
 5. A method for effectivelytreating the convulsions and throat blockage symptoms of venom, sufferedby a victim of a venomous creature, said method comprising:orallyadministering to the victim a dosage unit consisting of one-half glassof water into which is mixed one spoonful of a composition effectiveagainst the symptoms of venom, which composition comprises an ethylalcohol infusion of previously dried herbs and iron filings, saidalcohol infusion being a supernatant decanted from an infusion of from28 to 31 liters of an ethyl alcohol and water solution containing atleast 55% ethyl alcohol; from 130 to 300 grams of red cinchona; from 130to 300 grams of curcuma root; from 60 to 100 grams of aloe; from 80 to200 grams of saffron; from 80 to 200 grams of white agaric; from 80 to200 grams of nutmeg; from 250 to 400 grams manna; from 150 to 330 gramsof gencian; from 70 to 170 grams of orange blossom; from 80 to 200 gramsof rhubarb; from 450 to 650 grams of cinnamon; and from 2,800 to 3,500grams of iron filings.
 6. A method according to claim 5, wherein saidsupernatant is decanted from an infusion of29 liters of an ethyl alcoholand water solution containing 55% of ethyl alcohol; 220 grams of redcinchona; 220 grams of curcuma root; 80 grams of aloe; 140 grams ofsaffron; 140 grams of white agaric; 140 grams of nutmeg; 340 grams ofmanna; 280 grams of gencian; 120 grams of orange blossom; 140 grams ofrhubarb; 560 grams of cinnamon; and 3,200 grams of iron filings.